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On the verge of a National Record 266 in a row
National Record 266 in a row
Key dates in the 300
| CBA Reaches landmark 300 wins
Sept. 21, 2009 – Mike Mulshine missed consecutive victories 200 and 266, but there was no way he was going 0 for 3.
 So a month and a half ago, the 46-year-old Mulshine made sure he cleared his schedule so he could return to his high school stomping grounds at Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, NJ) and witness his alma mater reach another huge milestone.
Mulshine hopped in his car and embarked on nearly five hour ride from Queensbury, N.Y. (north of Albany) to Lincroft to join a huge throng of former runners and a raucous student body that gathered to see Christian Brothers notch its 300th straight dual meet victory.
The 20-43 win over Colts Neck and 15-50 victory against Manalapan extended CBA’s national record streak, which is the longest current high school streak of any sport in the nation,
``I didn’t know about 200 and 266, so when I heard this coming I took off of work,’’ said Mulshine, who graduated in 1981, a year before his brother, Jim, who also ran at CBA. ``There was no way I was missing this one.’’
The Hoffman brothers, Bill (class of 1998) and Brian (2000), and Billy Kolb (1985) were also among the past CBA stars that lined the course to watch the historical streak it helped build continue.
What brought them back?
``I came here today because of Tom Heath,’’ Mulshine said of CBA’s head coach who is in his 39th year at the helm. ``He is the reason for the streak and why we are all here.’’
Kolb, who split 4:13.8 on the distance medley Championship of America winning team at the Penn Relays in 1985, shared the same feeling.
 ``Without question this streak is all about Mr. Heath,’’ said Kolb. ``He made us believe and work hard and nothing has changed. ``We all haved a lot of pride in the streak and Mr. Heath made it possible.’’
Hoffman said 300 represents a bond that links everyone that has pulled on a CBA uniform since the streak began 35 years ago.
``It’s not about this team of the team I ran on,,’’ said Hoffman, who came from Manhattan.. ``It’s about every runner on ever one of those teams. That’s what makes this so unbeliveable is how many guys are a part of this. We always knew that the streak was a top priority every year and that’s the way it’s always been.’’
Chris Bennett (class of 1994), an assistant at CBA and star runner under Heath, said the more time passes, the greater appreciation you have for the streak.
``While you are running here, it’s like a job,’’ said Bennett. ``You are a guardian of the flame. But the further removed you are from it, the more impressive it becomes. 300 straight wins is a pretty cool record, and it’s all a testament to Mr. Heath. He is the one constant throughout the streak.’’
The 61-year-old Heath, who took over at his alma mater in 1971 from Dave Hyland, now has a career dual meet record of 331-7 over his legendary 39 years at CBA.
Heath never ran cross-country but was a sprinter on the track team at Christian Brothers and is a 1965 graduate of the school, where he spent just one year after moving from the Bronx to Leonardo.
After Heath graduated from Montclair State, he returned to his alma mater in 1970 to accept a job as a math teacher. But when Heath interviewed for the job, he discovered there was an opening for an assistant coach for the track and cross-country teams.
After one year working under Hyland, Heath was elevated to head coach in track and cross-country.
The rest is history.
CBA broke the state record for consecutive wins that was held by Bernards with its 200th straight win, 15-50 over Freehold Township on Oct. 2, 1995.
It broke the national record with its 266th straight on Sept. 30, 2004 when it defeated Middletown North, 15-50. The former record of 265 was set in 1992 by Blackstone-Millville Regional of Massachusetts.
``The streak is pretty mindboggling,’’ said Heath, who has led CBA to a state record 15 Meet of Champions titles. ``The reason for it is that guys worked hard and built a tradition of winning. Once that gets started, it’s not hard to get guys motivated. They know what the streak means.’’
For the record, Colts Neck junior Mike O’Dowd won the race yesterday over the 3.0-mile course in 15:12.2 and then a parade of CBA runners grabbed places two through 12.
Junior Mike Mazzaccaro, CBA’s No. 1 runner who hung back and took sixth, said it was an honor to be on the team that won No. 300.
``It means a lot to represent CBA, and to see all these people who ran here shows how much the streak means to everyone,’’ said Mazzaccaro. ``All the credit has to go to Mr. Heath. He’s the driving force behind it. It’s an honor to run for him’’
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